“Be diligent to come to me quickly; for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica–Crescens for Galatia, Titus for Dalmatia” (2 Timothy 4:9-10).
If we were to paraphrase this message from Paul the Apostle, we might do so in the following manner: “The curtain is about to close on the story of my life, Timothy. Please make every effort to visit me quickly.” As we consider these verses, it’s easy to imagine that advancing age and physical infirmity made it difficult for Paul to live without the assistance of his friends.
We should also note the emotional intensity within this passage, for it clearly expresses Paul’s sense of loneliness as he sat chained in a cold, damp prison cell. In addition to these physical and emotional challenges, Paul also carried the burden imposed by a former colleague who had abandoned him: “Demas has deserted me because he loves the things of this life and has gone to Thessalonica” (NLT).
Although Demas is largely unknown to us, he is mentioned once in Paul’s epistle to the church at Colossae and again in his message to Philemon. Since Paul offered greetings from Demas in those letters (and even identified him as “a fellow laborer” in his message to Philemon), he must have been a relatively close companion. Unfortunately, it also appears that Demas was someone who left Paul in favor of the attractions offered by this present world. Apparently, the lure of such things was more important to Demas than the God-honoring lifestyle modeled by Paul the Apostle.
This unfortunate circumstance offers an important reminder for today, for there are bound to be “Demas-es” in our own lives. For instance, we may have friends (perhaps even good friends) who will depart from us as they seek to indulge their interests in the pursuits of this world. If that should occur, we will be faced with a decision: “Will I continue to move forward in Christ or will I follow a similar path?
While it is never easy to confront this painful reality, Jesus suffered through this type of experience and knows exactly how it feels to be deserted by one’s friends. We can also find comfort and assurance in the words of Romans 8:18: “… what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will give us later.“
Finally, the commentary quoted below offers an additional message of encouragement…
“Some friends had proved faithless, others Paul had needed to send away; but God had proved faithful all along (2Ti_4:17-18).” (1)
(1) Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary [2 Timothy 4:9-18]